


damned through dusk

by minkit



Category: ENHYPEN (Band)
Genre: All 7 are important to the story, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Dark, Ensemble Cast, Eventual Romance, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Non-Consensual Blood Drinking, Non-Consensual Vampirism, Non-Linear Narrative, Original Character Death(s), Possessive Behavior, Slight OOCness but only to suit their character roles, Surprise guests as characters, Vampire Hunters, Violence, protectiveness to a fault, rated M for the violence not for sexualization don't worry, romance stuff consensual don't worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27271666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minkit/pseuds/minkit
Summary: Jake was fine with being a vampire. He was fine with everything that it came with, he just doesn't want to end up like Sunoo; desperately lonely and yearning for companionship. But Jake doesn't have Sunoo's reservations about drinking the blood of the living. Or turning them.-Jay had been a werewolf for nearly as long as he could remember. He didn't want to drag some innocent kid like Jungwon into that life. But Jungwon might get himself there all on his own.-Sunghoon was born a wolf. It's what he was. Sometimes he wished for more, something normal. Maybe the boy he meets in the library can give that to him. Or maybe not.-Ni-Ki was turned into a werewolf only a few years ago. He's endlessly curious about his world, but Jay and Sunghoon won't let him explore. Is it so bad that he discovers the world's secrets all on his own?-Heeseung couldn't stand it. The blood, the killing... but he was protecting people, and that's what being a vampire hunter is all about, isn't it?
Relationships: Kim Sunoo/Nishimura Riki | Ni-ki, Park Jongseong | Jay/Yang Jungwon, Park Sunghoon/Shim Jaeyoon | Jake
Comments: 30
Kudos: 132





	1. Part 1, Chapter I

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, god this has been in my head since the 2nd trailer and just is not leaving. This is gonna be... quite the story, I think. I'm not done. I wanted to try and get as much done as possible before uploading but... it's going to be halloween! and that's the perfect time for a vampire/werewolf AU right??
> 
> Notes:  
> 1) This is only loosely based on the trailer. More like inspiration than straight out based on it.  
> 2) Romance will be very slow moving and tbh, at the moment, isn't the MAIN focus of it, but it will include it. It is integral to my plot points. Ships are as tagged, however, saying that, idk what'll happen in the future so I might add some more... but those are and will remain the main ships.  
> 3) Tags will prob update as I write. I tried to be thorough in my tagging but tbh I'm pretty bad at tagging. Just like story titles or summaries. Bad at those too.  
> 4) re: tagging, please heed them. IDK how gory too gory is for ppl. This is my first time really writing anything remotely graphic (ironic considering dark fics are my FAVORITE) but this is vampires... It *needs* to be graphic.  
> 5) re: vampires, I'm doing my own version of vampires :) and werewolves :)  
> 6) The telling of this story is somewhat non-linear, meaning the timeline kind of jumps all over the place, but it will eventually get a lot more firmly linear as I go on.  
> 7) Alright, that's it!! Here's chapter one and I REALLY hope you like it!!

**Part 1, Chapter I  
  
** _His hands trembled as he held up the red painted appendages in front of his face. There was screaming surrounding him. Desperation._

_He coughed. More red._

_More screams._

-

“I just don’t understand why we have to steal from a hospital or a morgue to get blood. There’s people everywhere to feed from.” Jake stated as he tore open the bag and hungrily began drinking the thick, bright liquid, some of it spilling from the sides of his lips and down his chin, dripping onto his t-shirt.

Sunoo gave a small sigh as he watched. Jake was a messy eater.

“Because,” the older (although physically technically younger as Sunoo had the body of a sixteen year old, even after the three decades he had been a vampire) began, sliding his legs underneath him on the couch beneath the canopy of leaves that hung over them. “We can’t be discovered. I’ve told you what would happen if we’re discovered, haven’t I?” He asked rhetorically, because he knew that he had.

Jake pulled the bag from his face and began sliding a finger along the blood that covered his chin, licking it from his fingers. “Because if we’re found out, then the hunters will come for us.” 

“Yes.” Sunoo replied patiently, taking a drink of his meal. “The hunters will come for us.”

“I don’t see why you’re so scared of them.” Jake told him, plucking another bag of blood from the pile on the broken coffee table that made up their little home in the middle of the woods. “We’re vampires. Shouldn’t we be able to take them? We’re faster and stronger and--”

“And they’re trained.” Sunoo interrupted, his voice firm. They had gone over this. They had gone over this at least once a week ever since the day that Jake had awoken after his changing. “They’re trained to fight against all of that and they can.”

“Have you gone against them?” Jake asked, tilting his head as he chewed on the cap to the bag. 

“No.” Sunoo replied, tossing the empty plastic onto the ground. They would burn it later. “And I want to keep it that way.”

“Well, how do you know they’re all that skilled to fight us if you haven’t even gone against them?” Sunoo gave him a sharp look, but Jake just shrugged, unbothered as he downed another bag, his fingers clenching around it to squeeze every last drop that was possible.

Sunoo watched him, wondering if he had been like this at the beginning, three decades ago. He had been confused and scared, that was for sure. No clue what was going on, no sire to turn to for advice on the changes that were happening to him. 

He had had to figure it all out on his own and that had almost cost him the blood of his own family on his hands. It’s why he had left. To avoid that.

Now here he was, thirty years later with a teenager who seemed almost too happy for this change in his life, for lack of a better word. Jake didn’t speak much about his life before his death and whenever Sunoo prodded, Jake would get quiet and pretend to sleep or get up and leave. Sunoo had figured it would be best to stop asking.

He may be older, but at the moment Jake was far stronger than him. That uncontrolled power of a newborn vampire was greater than he had even told Jake. He didn’t need the boy to turn on him. 

But most of all he didn’t want Jake to leave him. Sunoo didn’t want to be alone, not again.

“I just wish I could taste warm blood for once.” Jake stated, finishing his second bag before leaning back into his broken down armchair. He looked down at his shirt and gave a slightly sheepish grin towards Sunoo. “Sorry…”

“It’s okay.” Sunoo told him, offering a small smile. “We’ll get you some more. It’s normal to be very hungry the first few years and you’re only three months old.” He assured him, knowing there was really no reason for Jake to feel bad. He was just young and eager and Sunoo supposed it was different having a sire than not having one. 

At least Jake could ask questions afterall. He wouldn’t have to figure this out all by himself. Sunoo had to admit, he liked having someone who could look towards him for advice. He liked having a family. And that was Jake; his family.

-

_“FUCK YOU!” Screams, but he could only choke, his mouth falling open and closed as he continued to cough up more blood. “THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!”_

_“MY FAULT?!” The sound of something smacking, but his vision was blurry as he whimpered. “YOU CAME AT ME--”_

_“STOP IT!” Another voice. “He’s… he’s dying…”_

_Who is he? Who is dying? Is it him?_

_It’s him._

_He’s dying._

-

He closed his eyes and concentrated his hearing, the words whispering to him through the blowing of the wind through the branches.

“Yeah… yeah, I got the kimchi and the meat… I’ll be home soon, okay? I love you.” The words were soft and light and kind and when Jay opened his eyes and looked across the park to the entrance of the supermarket, he could see the boy put his phone in his pocket and then look around, turning as if he was searching for something.

It was almost as if there was a spotlight created by the sun on him, the way he shone brighter than everything else in the surrounding area, how even though he was in the middle of a crowded walkway, Jay could still see the indent of his dimples as he puffed out his cheeks. He could still hear his soft sigh and the way his heart pounded against his ribs before the boy turned and walked down the street, a bag held tightly in his hand.

Jay’s own heart pounded in his ears as he followed him until he could no longer see him and then he sighed, leaning his hands on his knees as he sat on the back of a park bench. 

“Why didn’t you go say hi?” Jay glanced over towards his best friend Sunghoon as the boy dropped down onto the bench, looking off into the direction the boy Jay had been watching went. 

“As if he needs some loser wolf in his life.” Jay mumbled and Sunghoon looked up at him before patting his knee, right over the area that Jay had been bitten as a toddler. It tingled to the touch. 

“You’re not a loser.” Sunghoon assured him and then he smirked, raising his brows. “Most of the time.”

Jay gave him a slight kick but couldn’t help the smile that flickered across his lips. Sunghoon had always been there for him, literally from almost the moment he had gotten bitten. At least as much as Jay could remember.

It was only a couple of months after he’d been bitten as a toddler that his family had met the Park’s. They were generational wolves. Sunghoon had been born into the life. They had taught them everything they knew and Jay honestly couldn’t imagine where he would be now if it weren’t for Sunghoon and his family.

“Seriously though,” Jay heaved a sigh and lowered down from the back of the bench to sit next to Sunghoon. “He’s just some innocent kid going about his life.”

“Some innocent kid you’ve been seeing for months.” Sunghoon points out. “Just say hi outside of work. You don’t know what might happen. And stop talking about yourself as if you’re so much older than him. He can’t be any younger than sixteen. That’s two years, loser.”

“And what about you?” Jay fires back, twisting himself to better face his friend.

Sunghoon looks at him in confusion. “What about me?”

“Just you in general. At least I do some things. I go to work, interact with people, go to bars. You…you’re stuck in your little wolf world and that’s all you know.”

Sunghoon takes in a deep breath and holds it for a moment as he crosses his arms, looking out over the park and towards the woods. “I like my life being like this.” He answered, his voice sounding almost distant to Jay’s ears. “Being a wolf is my life. I’m okay with that.”

Jay wasn’t sure he believed him. 

-

_“Shit shit SHIT!” crunch of branches. He turned his head, watching as the blurry figure paced back and forth. His hands were sticky. “We need to do something.”_

_“I think it’s too late to do anything. He’s really dying.”_

_Dying…_

_He felt cold._

-

Jungwon sighed as he hung up his phone with his mother and put it into his pocket. He turned his head as he clutched the plastic bag full of groceries, looking for him… the person who was always working. Jay, his nametag read.

He had hoped to see him upon going into the mart and was vastly disappointed when he was nowhere to be found, so Jungwon peered around himself, hoping to see the older boy walk up the street to go to his shift, but no such luck. He must be off.

Still, Jungwon somehow felt that he was close.

But he couldn’t waste time and so headed off down the street towards the bus stop to get home. His bag was heavy with his books he needed for his homework, and he had to get home to wash his taekwondo uniform for tomorrow’s practice. A lot to do and little time, but that’s just how most of his days went.

Jungwon slid onto a seat towards the back of the bus. He set his bag of groceries down and reached into his backpack, pulling out his phone and earphones to press into his ears, blocking out the rest of the world with music. His own personal soundtrack to his life, Jungwon would sometimes think to himself.

If his life was a movie, this would be his soundtrack. 

However his smile always wavered at that part. How could a movie be so dull? Day in and day out… not much difference. Just the same. 

Jay was the only part of Jungwon’s day that he really much cared for. It had been that way since the first time he had walked into that mart (which was a little out of his way honestly and he’d only stopped in because he was at a friend’s nearby) and laid eyes on the older.

Something about him had just screamed at Jungwon, telling him that whoever this guy was, he was his future. It was a silly school-boy crush, Jungwon knew this. But he had never been able to work up the courage to say more than “hi” or “how was your day?” to him. He had never even given the guy his name, and he only knew his because he had a name tag from working at the mart.

And, unfortunately for Jungwon, Jay hadn’t been around to brighten his day. 

But it’s okay. There was always tomorrow. 

-

_“We need to get him to a hospital asap!” arms slid beneath him and he cried out in pain, screeching until his throat was raw and bleeding._

_“Fuck, we can’t move him. We don’t even have time to move him.”_

_“Well, we can’t let him die!”_

_“No, but…” a pause. “We can turn him.”_

-

Heeseung shakily reached a hand up, flushing the toilet and grimaced as he watched his vomit swirl down the porcelain bowl. He groaned, clutching his stomach as he pushed himself up and stumbled his way to the sink. He stood there, staring at himself in the mirror for a moment before turning on the faucet to rinse out his mouth.

He wished he was home so he could brush his teeth, but washing his mouth out would have to do for now.

At the corner of the sink was a bottle of mouthwash. He stared at it and then grabbed it, pouring some carefully into his mouth and swished it around, gargling until he could feel his throat burn before he spat the emerald liquid into the sink and rinsed away the evidence.

With a deep breath, he put the cap back on and left the bathroom. 

“You okay?” Someone asked, leaning against the wall opposite of the bathroom, causing Heeseung’s heart to skip a beat in fright as he hadn’t expected it.

He took in a shaky breath, clutching at his shirt as he nodded. “Yeonjun hyung… I’m fine.” Heeseung promised, staring at his hyung and trying not to look at the blood that stained his shirt.

Yeonjun watched him for a moment before he smiled, his eyes sparkling and then he swung an arm around Heeseung who flinched. If Yeonjun noticed, he didn’t say anything. “Good, now you need to see this part.”

The older tugged him down, his arm firmly around him as if he knew that Heeseung might try to run away. Not that Heeseung would, not that he was even going to think about it. He couldn’t. This was his life.

Except he could feel the bile rise up in his throat as he got down the stairs, the sight of a person (not a person, a vampire, he reminded himself) chained to a chair that was bolted to a floor in the middle of the room. Three others surrounded the creature that was bleeding from its mouth, nose, and eyes. 

Cuts covered the almost pitiable being, ranging in size and depth. In a few spots, between the sinewy exposed muscle, Heeseung could see bone. 

His head swam and he grabbed at the railing of the stairs.

“Where is your coven?” He heard his father ask and shook his head, trying to steady his vision, but it was nearly impossible. 

“You wish I would tell you…” the creature laughed, an ugly, twisted sound that couldn’t possibly come from a human. It made it just slightly easier for Heeseung to watch.

“Its not going to give us anything.” 

Heeseung’s father sighed and nodded and then, from the table, he picked up a large machete that Heeseung knew was dripping in dead man’s blood, a poison that would insure the utmost pain in a vampire, even during a quick second death. He then held it out to Heeseung.

Heeseung just looked at it, his hand shaking around the staircase as he looked between it and the vampire who was staring at him with undisguised hunger.

“Heeseung?” Yeonjun whispered from next to him. They were all waiting for him to take the weapon. He needed to do this.

He couldn’t.

“I got this.” Yeonjun then said suddenly, taking the machete from Heeseung’s father who just looked at his son in disappointment. Heeseung clenched his jaw as he watched his friend step towards the half-dead being.

His breath hitched and his heart sped as he watched Yeonjun just stare for a moment and then the man lifted the machete and brought it down with a fast swing, the head of the vampire falling to the floor and rolling, its eyes still wide and open as it stared at Heeseung.

Blood splattered across the room, some even landing on his face and Yeonjun dropped the machete on the ground as if it was the easiest thing in the world to him. He was covered in blood and he smiled. 

“Who is hungry?”

Heeseung felt like he was about to be sick again.

-

_“No, we’re not doing that.” What weren’t they doing?_

_“We have no other choice if you want him to live!”_

_“What live? If you turn him into one of… one of your kind, he’s not living! He would never want that!”_

_“Becoming a vampire is the only choice for him! I’m not letting him die!” They wanted to turn someone into a vampire? Who did they want to turn into a vampire? To curse someone like that…_

_He felt someone slide their hand under his head. “Please… we have to do this.” Him. They wanted to turn him into a vampire._

_He opened his mouth to speak, his voice barely escaping passed his lips. “N-no…”_

-

It was almost as if the woods whispered to Ni-Ki. 

He stood at the edge, staring into them, wondering what lay beyond. He had heard tales, of course. He’d been told by Jay’s family, by his adoptive family, that it wasn’t safe in the woods. There were creatures other than wolves in those woods, creatures that would hurt him, harm him, turn him into something far worse than a werewolf, and he shouldn’t go in them.

He wanted to go in them.

Ni-Ki kicked at a rock just at the edge of the trees. The woods were mostly dark, but he could see patches even from here where light shone down at. Ni-Ki had good senses. He would probably be okay with just a quick exploration--

The sound of a tree branch crunching beneath foot had Ni-Ki ducking behind a tree, his heart racing as he crouched close to the ground, his eyes narrowing. He stared into the dark forest, his eyes darting around every which direction as he tried to see what animal had caused the noise.

His fingers dug into the trunk of the tree, bark breaking off beneath his touch. He kept himself quiet as best he could and focused his hearing. Jay had been teaching him. If he concentrated, he could do it.

“Hello?” He called out, even though he knew he shouldn’t, and then he listened. But he heard nothing, just the sound of the wind whispering through the woods.

He looked up just as a shadow moved between a tree and Ni-Ki gasped, standing up and taking a few steps further into the forest. “H-hello?” He called out again, ignoring how much trouble he would be getting in if he was found. “Are you… are you a person or are you--something else?” He called into the woods but received no answer.

“Ni-Ki what are you doing?” Ni-Ki jumped and turned as Sunghoon came up behind him, his voice frozen in a stern look. The older boy who usually looked so soft and nice grasped at his wrist, almost tight enough to the point it hurt, and tugged him from the forest.

“I thought I saw something.” He said quickly, pulling his arm free from Sunghoon’s grasp. “I was curious.” He glanced down at his feet, trying to appear ashamed even though, inside, his heart was pounding with adrenaline. He needed to go back into those woods. He needed to see what else was out there.

“Ni-Ki…” Sunghoon breathed out, pressing a hand into his shoulder. “I know you’re curious, but it’s dangerous out here, especially by yourself? This is how you got bit, isn’t it?” Ni-Ki sucked on his lip and nodded. “We don’t need something else happening to you. We care about you too much, okay?”

He took in a deep breath and nodded. That was true. They did care about him. More than his parents whom had gotten rid of him the moment they figured out they couldn’t figure out what the hell to do with their supernatural son. 

“I’m sorry.” He murmured an apology, still not looking up.

Sunghoon sighed and dropped his hand. “It’s okay. I won’t tell Jay, but he is waiting for you so the two of you can go home. So go home and no more wandering off, okay? Promise?”

Ni-Ki stuck his hand behind his back and crossed his fingers. “I promise.”

-

_“He said no. He doesn’t want this, so stop!”_

_“I don’t think he gets a choice in this matter because it’s my choice that I DON’T WANT TO LOSE HIM!”_

_The yelled words caused silence to come over the group of boys as he lay there, shaking his head back and forth, desperate for someone to listen to him._

_He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to live the life of the damned._

-

Jake took in a sharp breath as he watched the boy hover around the edge of the woods. He could smell him from here, the scent of his blood, hot and flowing through his veins. He clutched at his stomach, although it really wasn’t his stomach that was feeling the hunger pains.

It was his entire body. 

Hunger pains were horrid, unlike anything Jake could have ever imagined. The way they wracked the body. It felt like the flu on crack, twisting and cramping. It felt as if someone had personally reached inside his body and pinched at every single nerve inside of his body. 

Snip snip, the scissors went. But they were dull and they couldn’t cut. They could only pinch and that was even worse. He could feel it then.

He slid his hands down the tree, the bark breaking off beneath the force of his touch. The boy smelled so good that Jake felt as if he were drooling, faced with a five course meal after being starved for three months. 

Blood.   
Red.  
Oozing.  
Hot.  
Sticky.  
Sweet.  
  
Dripping down his throat, his chin, Jake wanted it. He wanted his blood more than he had ever wanted anything in his life.

“Ni-Ki, what are you doing?” A voice called and it snapped Jake out of his blood-thirsty haze. If he had a beating heart it would skip. If he breathed, it would hitch.

Who are you? He thought to himself, shifting around the tree to get a clearer view at the newer boy, someone who had to be close to Jake in age. Tall and thin and pale with dark hair and sickly sweet smelling blood.

Jake swallowed tightly, his fists clenching against the trunk of the tree. He needed to know who this was. Why had he never seen him before? How could a boy be so pretty? So ethereal and full of grace?

How could a human smell so good?

The younger walked off and left the pretty one who stood there for a moment longer, looking into the woods as if he expected something to jump out. And Jake wanted to give that to him, oh how he wanted to jump out, but just as he moved to do so, a strong hand pressed down on his shoulder and his head swung around to see Sunoo, looking at him in disappointment.

He blinked his eyes as the boy disappeared and Jake’s senses came back to him. He could think clearly again. He could realize how he had almost put not only himself, but Sunoo, who had gone so far to care for him, into danger, and he felt ashamed.

But even still, that boy’s scent was trapped in his nose and he could taste him on his tongue and he wanted him.

-

_“...Fine. Just do it quickly before I change my mind.”_

_At once, the hand beneath his head began to stroke at his hair and he could see a pair of desperate, wide eyes looking down at him. He shook his head, a sob escaping his blood stained lips. “Pl-please… d-don’t…”_

_“I have to.” The boy told him, a soft smile on his lips. “It’s going to be okay.”_

-

Sunghoon let out a deep, slow breath as he walked into his house, leaning against the door. Nothing in particular had happened that was that eventful, except for the instance with Ni-Ki. 

He shook his head. The boy was fifteen and only bitten as of a couple years ago, but he was so curious about the world and what was out there. He and Jay did their best to keep him in check, in fear that something worse than what had already happened to him happening. But it was hard to keep a fifteen year old under control as only an eighteen year old.

Sunghoon supposed he couldn’t blame the kid for his curiosity. If he was in his shoes and had only learned about this world instead of growing up with it as he and Jay had, he would probably be curious as well. But it was just so dangerous. 

“I’m home!” He called out to his parents as he walked into the living room. “Is Gaeun still at track?” His little sister, Gaeun, had decided to put her natural born werewolf athletic ability to good use. Sunghoon had long since decided to lay low and not show off in that way.

“She’s still at track. Did you hear what happened?” His mother asked as his father shook his head from the armchair next to her.

Sunghoon raised his brows. “No… did something happen?”

“Found a body earlier.” Sunghoon felt a chill shoot down his spine. “Seems like there’s more vampires hanging about lately. But they caught it, thank God.”

“O-Oh.” Sunghoon gave a shaky smile. “That’s good.”

If he were entirely honest, the idea of vampires scared the shit out of him. They had since he was young, the idea that there was an undead creature out there that feasted on human blood, controlled by their need to feed, all sense of morality lost. 

As a werewolf, he couldn’t control himself on nights of the full moon, at least not very well, but at least he was alive. At least he still had a soul.

“Yes, at least it’s taken care of and that’s one less vampire in the world.” His mother shook her head, clucking her tongue and Sunghoon nodded, agreeing with her.

“Better to be dead than to be a vampire.”

-

_“N-no…” he forced out, using all his strength to push away the rest that was held out in front of him. He refused. He wouldn’t be one of them…_

_The boy’s face stiffened in front of him, a vision of anger taking over his eyes and then he lifted his wrist, biting into it and tearing the flesh until blood poured in droves down his arm._

_His eyes filled with tears as fingers clutched at his hair, forcing him still and then the wrist was pushed to his mouth, the blood of the damned pouring into his mouth and he eventually had no choice but to swallow, the metallic flavor causing him to want to vomit._

_“You’re going to be okay…” The voice of the damned said from above him, somehow a smile now on his face. “You’re going to be okay, Sunghoon.”_


	2. Part 1, Chapter II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today we get some history on Jake! Honestly really had fun writing his parts so I hope you guys have fun reading them! And to US people, hope you're all holding up! Let's be optimistic! We're gonna go blue, baby!!!
> 
> Also I do want to make clear again:
> 
> This story is featuring MY OWN versions of vampires and werewolves. There's so much lore and stories about them that I really don't like writing about other people's versions of them, but like to create my own with how I imagine them. It's just way more fun that way for me so if something doesn't match up to other versions--that's because it's done that way on purpose.

**Part 1, Chapter II**

_Jake rifled through his backpack, his stomach clenching painfully as he reached for the open granola bar that was over half eaten. He tore the wrapper from it, tossing it to the forest floor before stuffing the last third into his mouth._

_He chewed with a long sigh through his nostrils as he leaned against the trunk of the tree, already used to the way sap would stick to his shirt. A cold chill came over him and he shivered, tugging his jacket tightly around him._

_Winter was ending, but it did nothing to stop him from being cold at night. He stuck his hands, almost blue from the cold, in between his legs as he swallowed the last bit of food that he had. He would have to go into town to try and steal some more tomorrow. If he had been smarter, he would’ve stolen more money from those asshole foster “parents” that he had run from._

_But he hadn’t, and he was too stubborn to go back. Actually, it wasn’t even stubbornness. It was better to try and live out in the woods than another night under that roof full of abuse. He just couldn’t do it anymore._

_He shot up at the sound of murmurs, his heart pounding in his chest in panic._

_Jake’s first thought was that it was someone looking for him, but who would be looking for him? His foster parents surely didn’t care that he had run off, he had no family to speak of… but if it weren’t for him, what were people doing out in the woods at three am?_

_He swallowed tightly and grabbed his bag, creeping behind a thick patch of trees to avoid being seen. I_ _t was impossible to make out who it was or what the people were looking for, but Jake sat there, crouched, his legs aching, for a good while just watching as lights flashed through the woods and people walked back and forth._

_He let out a breath of relief when they finally disappeared and it seemed as if they wouldn’t be coming back any time soon. Jake groaned as he pushed himself up, but just as he did, a branch cracked from above him and he looked just in time to see what looked like a person standing in the trees._

_Jake gasped, stumbling backwards out of fright and his feet slipped and he looked down, seeing nothing but down._

_He fell and he screamed into the darkness that surrounded him._

_-_

Jay groaned and stretched as he stood from where he had been crouching on the ground for a good thirty minutes, fixing up the bottom shelves of the supermarket he worked at for a reset. It was hard and tiring, but it passed the time quickly and as he glanced at his watch, he saw that he only had an hour left until he could go meet up with Sunghoon. Freedom at last.

He leaned over and picked up an empty box the new plastic strips had come in. He reached into his back pocket to grab his box cutter and that’s when he looked up and saw _him_ at the end of the aisle, all dew drop shaped eyes and dimples.

He shook those thoughts from his head, clearing his throat to put on his professional voice. “Anything I can help you find?” He asked, his voice steady but inside his heart was pounding. It was amazing the boy couldn’t hear it from the ten feet away that stood.

“H-huh?” The boy blinked and then clutched at the basket in his hands, shaking his head. “Right…” He walked closer and Jay felt as if his heart was beating so fast it would suddenly stop working.

It wasn’t as if this was the first time they’d been so close, but it was the same every single time. The boy would ask for something, Jay would answer, and then they would both go on their way leaving Jay to eagerly await the next time this person needed help finding something else.

“Yes, actually.” The smaller of the two asked and Jay noticed how his fingers were so tight around the basket in his arms that they were almost white. “I was wondering if you could help me find… beans?”

Jay blinked and glanced down at the basket. He reached forward, grabbing a can of beans that the boy already had and lifted them up. “These kind?”

“Uh…” The boy laughed nervously and took the can from Jay with an embarrassed grin. “Yes, actually. Thank you for helping me find them.” He put the can back into his basket.

God he was cute. “It’s no problem. Let me know if you need anything else.” They both stood there for a moment, looking at each other then Jay cleared his throat and went about cutting up the box in his hands.

“I will.” The boy said and then slowly began walking away.

Except he didn’t. He stopped and turned back around, walking the few steps back towards Jay. Jay watched him, his eyes wide in surprise at the suddenness of it. 

“I’m Jungwon.” _Jungwon_ said, staring up at him. “I see you here all the time and you’re always really helpful. I thought I should introduce myself. Finally.” 

Jay’s heart was almost pounding out of his chest. This couldn’t be a normal reaction to someone whose longest conversation together consisted of exactly this. “Jungwon…” he cleared his throat, trying to appear nonchalant. Jay had a feeling he was failing at that. “I’m Jay.”

Jungwon grinned, his eyes sparkling in a way that told Jay there was more to him than just cuteness. “I know. Your nametag.” He pointed to Jay’s shirt when a look of expression came over his face. 

It was Jay’s turn to be embarrassed, but he tried to play it cool. Because that’s what Jay was… cool. 

“Better manners to introduce myself, right?” Jay asked,flicking the switch of the box-cutter up and down.

“Right.” Jungwon agreed and _god_ , Jay couldn’t believe he finally had a name to put to the face of the boy he’d been crushing on for months. “So I was wondering, I don’t know if you’re busy or not or even when you get off, but I was wondering if you wanted to get a coffee with me?”

Jay stared at him, at a loss for words, as he slid the box cutter over the box in his hand--except it wasn’t over the box and suddenly Jay was cursing, dropping both the box and the knife to the floor as he clutched his bleeding hand. 

“F _uc_ k…” he hissed, kicking at the box as his hand trembled, blood dripping to the ground.

“Oh my god--” Jungwon gasped, dropping his basket to grab at Jay’s hand, taking a look. “Are you ok--oh god, you’re going to need stitches.” Jay groaned.

“C-can you put that knife in my pocket? I can’t leave it here.” He said through gritted teeth and Jungwon quickly picked up the knife, sticking it into Jay’s pocket who quickly made his way from the aisle and to the office. He could hear Jungwon hurrying after him and yeah, this was exactly how Jay wanted this exchange to go.

-

_Jake took in a shaky breath, his body racking with sobs as he even tried. He tried to turn his head, but he couldn’t, instead he was forced to stare up at about the thirty foot drop he had just taken as every nerve in his body screamed out that something was wrong._

_He knew what was wrong. His body was fucking broken._

_He cried out again, wanting to move but not able to. Jake could feel the tears that streamed down his cheeks in waves. Fright filled his body--he didn’t want to die._

_Thoughts of his parents, of his older brothers, filled his mind. The sight of seeing their twisted bodies, mangled and bleeding. It had haunted his nightmares since the age of six, plaguing his mind._

_He really hadn’t wanted to end up like them._

_Jake didn’t want to die._

_And then he saw it above him, almost shining in the light of the moon? An angel?_

_Or maybe a demon._

_-_

“You really didn’t have to come with me, you know.” Jay told Jungwon as the two of them walked out of the emergency room. Jungwon gave him a small smile, shrugging as he adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. He knew he hadn’t needed to go. But he had wanted to.

Not that he was going to tell Jay hyung that. 

“I know, but I felt a little guilty. I did kind of distract you and force you to cut yourself. It’s only good manners of me to at least come with you to make sure you didn’t need an amputation.” Jay blinked at him and Jungwon worried he had said something wrong before the older laughed, his eyes shining as he looked at him.

Jungwon’s stomach flipped at the sound that _he_ had caused. Jay hyung was laughing because of _him_. The knowledge of that filled him with a happiness that he couldn’t even really begin to explain, not even to himself.

“You didn’t cause me to slice my hand open, don’t worry, little Jungwon.” Jungwon made a slight face at ‘little’. He really didn’t want to be seen as little to Jay--that was probably the exact opposite of what he wanted in fact. “But thank you for coming. I appreciated the company while I waited for my hand to get sewn back together.” 

“So, about that coffee--”

“Jay!” 

Both Jungwon and Jay turned their heads at the sound of Jay’s name being called and Jungwon swallowed tightly at the sight of probably the prettiest boy he had ever seen in his life coming up, worried written clear across his face. 

How a person could hold so much grace and beauty, Jungwon really had no clue.

“Sunghoon, what are you doing here?”

“I got your text, idiot. You told me you had pretty much cut off your hand!” Sunghoon gave him a glare as Jay chuckled, lifting his hand.

“Maybe I exaggerated a little. I’m fine, just a few stitches.” 

“Well, I didn’t tell your mom. She would freak out.” Sunghoon glanced at Jungwon then looked back at Jay before doing a double-take. “Oh. Hi. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sunghoon.” Sunghoon smiled at him and Jungwon felt a warmth in it unlike his somewhat more cool exterior.

“Jungwon…” He greeted, bowing his head, trying to keep any disappointment out of his voice, but it was a little hard. “And you are--”

“Jay’s best friend.” Sunghoon interjected quickly with a grin as he leaned an arm around the other’s shoulder who was just staring at him with wide eyes. “Yes… best friend since we were very little. Jay is like a brother to me, in fact. So brotherly that we might as well be related.”

The disappointment faded and the smile was automatically back on Jungwon’s face. Brothers huh? Good to know. “Well, it’s nice to meet you.” He said, his words full of sincerity. 

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Sunghoon turned and looked at Jay. “I just remembered that I have… things that I have to do. So I’m going to go do them. You’ll be fine without me, right?” He then leaned in, whispering something to Jay that Jungwon couldn’t hear before he pulled back, shot Jungwon a smile. “I’m off. It was nice meeting you. Hopefully we can talk again some time.”

Jungwon gave him a bright smile. “I would like that.” He would. He would love to get to know Jay’s best friend.

The two of them watched as Sunghoon walked off, just as gray clouds started to roll in overhead. The both looked up as a small roar of thunder sounded in the distance. “Seems like it’s going to rain…” Jungwon murmured, slightly disappointed at the idea he might need to get home.

“Yeah…” Jay cleared his throat and Jungwon looked towards him. “So… about that coffee.”

-

_“Oh god…” the voice of the boy staring at him said, his eyes wide as he looked over Jake’s broken body. Something about his voice comforted Jake and he felt himself relax into the ground._

_An angel. Definitely an angel._

_“Hi, I’m Sunoo.” Jake opened his mouth but no words could come out and Sunoo pressed his hand to the top of his head, only to pull it away a moment later, Jake seeing the shining red that covered his fingers. “Okay, that’s not good…” The boy murmured and then looked down at him, appearing to think to himself._

_Jake wished he could speak, but every time he tried, it was just a whimper of pain. It was slow, agonizing, his body feeling as if it was both freezing and burning all at the same time. Pin pricks whenever his body involuntarily twitched, but he could feel nothing from the waist down, and that worried him more than anything._

_“I can help you.” Sunoo said after a minute, or maybe it was an hour, Jake wasn’t entirely sure. “Do you want me to help you… live?”_

_Jake’s heart skipped. Live? Could he live when he was such a mess like this? How? But then again… this was an angel, maybe his guardian angel. He had no reason not to trust him._

_He inclined his head as much as he could and then brought it back down. He was worried Sunoo couldn’t see it, worried the nod was too miniscule, but Sunoo did notice it and in that next moment, he bit down into his wrist, a thin stream of red trailing down his arm soon followed._

_“It’ll be okay. I promise. Just trust me.” Sunoo murmured and though Jake found it strange, he felt absolute trust in this person as he brought his bleeding wrist to his mouth and the irony flavor of blood dripped to his lips. “Just drink this and it’s all going to be okay.”_

_And so Jake opened his mouth and drank._

_-_

Sunghoon ran the last few yards into the library just as the rain started pounding down. He was wet as he walked in and received a dirty look from a worker, but he gave her a small, apologetic smile and bow and she sighed, shaking her head as she went back to work. 

He dropped his smile and let out a breath before walking in and towards the back of the building where it was quiet and he could be alone for awhile. He and Jay had had plans, but upon seeing Jay finally talking to the boy he had been eyeing for months, Sunghoon had more than happily left them to their own devices. 

Besides, it was always nice to spend some time on his own. 

As he got to the back of the library, he ran his fingers along the spines of the book before pulling one randomly off the shelf and went to sit against the wall to avoid getting any seats wet. The story was nothing special, just one of a regular boy doing regular things living a regular life.

Sunghoon found himself envious as he felt a growing knot in the pit of his stomach. It was his body telling him the full moon was close. Five days, to be exact. Having lived like this for his entire life, he didn’t even need a calendar to keep track. He supposed that was kind of neat.

He shifted, extending his legs only to feel something smack into them a moment later. He looked up as a boy tripped, stumbling forward and catching himself on the bookshelf. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry--” he apologized quickly, pulling his legs back. “I didn’t see you--are you okay?” His heart pounded in fright, worried he had somehow hurt this other kid, but the boy steadied himself and looked down towards him.

“It’s okay, I caught myself. See?” The boy held out his arms, showing himself off and Sunghoon found his breath catching for a mere moment at the sight of his smile and the way his hair fell into his eyes, only to be brushed back a moment later. “Seriously, it happens.”

“Still, I’m sorry.” Sunghoon apologized. “I was stretching out my legs. There’s usually no one back here…” He rambled on, explaining and the other boy gave a small laugh before plopping onto the ground next to him. Sunghoon blinked at the suddenness of it.

“Okay, I have a deal then. I’ll forgive you if you tell me your name.” The boy placed his hand on his chest. “I’m Jake. Your turn.” He looked at him expectantly with sparkling eyes, a deep brown that Sunghoon felt he could easily get lost in. 

Is this how Jay felt whenever he saw Jungwon? Sunghoon really needed to get ahold himself. He was _not_ the type to fawn over some random guy. 

“I’m Sunghoon.” He greeted and watched as Jake’s smile widened.

“Sunghoon…” Jake repeated, his voice soft and there was something about the way that Jake said his name that just spoke to Sunghoon. His fingers clenched around his book. “Well, Sunghoon, you’re forgiven for tripping me and almost causing my death.”

Sunghoon gave a chuckle and bit down on his lap. “Okay, well, maybe next time if you watch where you go, you won’t almost die by tripping over someone’s legs.”

Jake’s smile seemed to widen even further, his teeth almost glinting from the shine of the library lights. “You’re probably right about that. I’ll watch where I’m going next time. We both need to be more aware of our surroundings. So what are you reading?”

He looked down at the book laid out on his lap and gave a small shrug. “Just some story about a dull, boring kid in school. It’s not that interesting. But I kind of like stories that aren’t that interesting.”

“Oh?” Jake blinked, glancing at the book. “Never heard of someone who likes uninteresting novels before.”

“Now you have.” Sunghoon laughed before pointing to Jake’s book that he had just noticed he was holding. “What about you? What are you reading?”

“This?” Jake held up the book. “Some series I found about vampires. It’s also not that interesting and apparently this is the first of like thirteen. That’s crazy.” 

Sunghoon frowned slightly at the mention of vampires, playing with a page of his book. “Do you like vampires?”

“I mean, they’re pretty popular as far as stories go. You don’t like them?” Jake asks, looking at him curiously and deeply, almost as if he were reading into him.

“Not really.” Sunghoon murmured and then pushed a smile onto his face. “They’ve always kind of scared me. Probably a bad movie experience as a kid.” Or maybe all of the horror stories he had grown up hearing from his parents.

“Oh, well…” Jake tossed the book down the aisle and grinned. “Vampire is gone.”

Sunghoon laughed, shaking his head at the antic. “Well, thank you, Jake, for that very heroic take down of the scary vampire. I really appreciate it.”

Jake pressed his hands into the ground and leaned forward a little, his smile so wide that Sunghoon was surprised it wasn’t splitting his face into two. “Anything for someone so pretty.” 

His heart skipped and stomach fluttered at the compliment and he laughed out of embarrassment, looking down at his book as he felt his cheeks flare up with heat. “Oh, uh…” He wasn’t sure how to reply to that and so instead swallowed, pointing down at the novel in his lap. “I’m going to read my book now.”

“Okay.” Jake stated, turning and grabbing another random book off a shelf close to him before wiggling himself into a sitting position against the wall next to Sunghoon. “I’m going to read mine too.”

Sunghoon smiled at him and then bowed his head to look at the book, but all he could concentrate was the feeling of Jake’s shoulder slightly brushing against his and all of the words seemed to bleed into one another. But it’s okay. He was enjoying this anyway.

-

_A river of lava flowed through his veins. At least that’s what it felt like as Jake thrashed against a mattress tucked away into a cave deep within the woods._

_It felt as if someone was taking each vein in his body and burning it with hot coal until it withered away to nothing but mere ash. His savior tried to keep him calm and for the first few hours (days, weeks… Jake wasn’t sure anymore), it had worked. The touch of the angel had comforted and calmed but now he lashed out, snarling to the point his savior had to chain up his wrists, the cool metal feeling too hot against his skin._

_“You just have to go with it, this part will be over soon and then it’s just going to be like a bad flu.” The boy promised, hesitantly reaching forward with a wet towel._

_Jake growled, his eyes flaring, but it didn’t seem to phase Sunoo as he pressed the towel to his forehead. The cool water calmed him somewhat and he took in large, shaking breaths, tugging at the chains that surrounded him._

_“It’ll be okay…” he heard again as his vision blurred and then he felt something warm on his lips and he drank, thirstily, hungrily. And then everything went dark and he fell asleep._

_-_

“You need to eat.” His mother said sternly as she sat a plate of food down in front of Heeseung. He stared at his bowl of soup and it turned red before his eyes, pieces of flesh floating to the surface.

He closed his eyes, clenching them tightly as he breathed in deeply before he slowly opened them, peeking once again at the soup that was now more yellow in color, the flesh actually just pieces of tofu.

“I’m not very hungry this morning.” He answered as he picked up his chopsticks, using them to push around the rice more than actually eat anything, although he did manage to shovel in a few bites of it. Rice was safe.

“You really need to get over your aversion to blood, Heeseung.” His brother, Hyeunjin, stated, looking at him with a slight knowing expression. Heeseung turned away and didn’t answer. “Like as a kid, okay, but now…” he let the end of the sentence hang in the air.

Heeseung knew what he was talking about anyway.

“It’s just the blood.” Heeseung assured, grabbing his spoon to stick into the soup. “If I can get passed the blood, I’ll have no issues.” He wasn’t entirely sure that was true, but he also wasn’t about to admit that to his family of hunters, especially to his brother who had made his first kill at twelve.

And here Heeseung was, nineteen and graduated without even a single kill under his belt. He was pathetic.

“You should really try asking Yeonjun to give you some extra training. He’d be more than happy to help you out, you know.” His brother took a large bite of ribs and the sight of the meat made Heeseung want to vomit again.

Blood. Sinew stringing from the dismembered head. Bone peaking out from beneath sliced flesh.

“Yeonjun lives for this stuff…” He murmured, setting his spoon down as he was unable to force any more down his stomach. Yeonjun was… well, not so much as a friend but more of a friendly rival. Not that Heeseung was any sort of rival to him, but Yeonjun was a hyung that Heeseung had looked up to since he was little.

Yeonjun had grown up with a family like his too, hunting, killing vampires, making the world a safer place to live in for innocents. But, unlike Heeseung, Yeonjun was _good_ at it. Apparently he’d made his first kill at nine (Yeonjun had always told him to not think of it as a _kill_ ; vampires were already dead after all). Yeonjun loved hunting. He loved the weapons. It didn’t bother him. He could sleep at night after slicing through some monsters and then get up the next day and eat a full meal without the worry of it being regurgitated. 

Heeseung was very envious of Yeonjun. He just wasn’t cut out for this. 

One, he couldn’t stand blood. The sight of it made him queasy. He felt faint whether it came from his own body or someone else’s. But also, he hated violence. Call him a pacifist, sure, but he wished there was another way.

There wasn’t however and Heeseung knew this. Vampires _were_ monsters. They were monsters controlled by their need to feed. They had no souls. They murdered innocent people and they needed to be stopped. Killing them, for good, was the only choice that they really had.

He took in a breath and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll call Yeonjun and ask him if he’s busy today.”

Hyeunjin gave him a small smile and patted his shoulder. “It’ll be good for you.”

Heeseung just nodded and excused himself from the table to go sit outside. He looked out at the road. He lived in an average house on an average road with average people… none of them even knew what was out there, what his family were protecting them from.

They were the reason that Heeseung continued doing this. They were worth it. 

He brought his phone to his ear, listening to it ring a few times before there was an answer on the other end. 

“H-hey, Heeseung,” Heeseung narrowed his brows at the greeting. 

“Hyung, why are you breathing so heavily?” There was a pause at the other end of the line and when Yeonjun spoke next, his voice was much steadier.

“Training. Of course. What else?” There was a happy lilt to his voice. It was hard to believe it’s the same guy who could decapitate vampires without a second’s hesitation.

“Training was actually what I wanted to talk to you about hyung…” Heeseung trailed off, tugging at his jeans and pulling his legs closer to his chest.

“You want some training.” Yeonjun said, speaking more matter-of-factly rather than asking it as a question. Heeseung hummed into his cellphone. “I can be free in an hour to pick you up. I’ve got a few ideas we can do. You may not like it though.”

Heeseung took in a shaky breath and squared his shoulders. “I can do it.”

“Great!” Yeonjun said brightly. “Then I’m going to go get ready. Wear some clothes you don’t mind getting ruined. Bye bye~” And then Yeonjun hung up and Heeseung got up to go vomit in preparation.

-

_Sunoo was right. The burning river of fire that had become his veins calmed until all that Jake was left with was a terribly bad case of the flu. At least that’s what it felt like._

_His body ached and his mouth felt like sandpaper, but he was no longer thrashing. The chains were off and he had a blanket tugged up to his chin. Every once in awhile, Sunoo would appear with some strange tasting liquid that Jake decided not to question, and each time Jake drank it, it tasted a little bit better until it started tasting like one of the sweetest things he’d ever had the pleasure of drinking._

_He wanted to ask what it was, but his voice still didn’t seem to want to work, so instead he just lay back and look up at his savior as the boy cared for him, his voice humming soft tunes until Jake would pass out only to wake hours later to see Sunoo still sitting there, watching him._

_He was starting to wonder if the other boy ever slept._

_Time was weird. It felt like hours, days, months all at once. He wasn’t sure how long had passed since he’d fallen from the cliff and broke himself, but he could move again, yet he couldn’t feel the pain of a broken body. Just the pain of the flu. He was confused, but Sunoo assured him it was normal._

_Jake fell in and out of sleep a few more times and each time he woke, he felt a little bit more alert, a little less sick, until finally he could sit himself up, looking around the empty cave. Sunoo wasn’t around, but his stuff was._

_It was light out. Did he go somewhere?_

_But just then, Sunoo ducked back inside, smiling widely as he saw Jake sitting up and alert. “You’re awake!” The boy said happily, dropping down onto the mattress next to him._

_“I…” he was, and now that he was, he was confused, because that fall had broken his bones into splinters. The confusion must’ve shown on his face because Sunoo reached over and took his hand._

_“Your name is Jake, right? I found your ID in your pocket. I’m Sunoo, I’m not sure if you caught that earlier, you were fairly out of it.”_

_“I caught it.” Jake glanced around and then licked over his lips as he felt a pang in his stomach. “You saved my life. I don’t know how, but I… thank you?”_

_Sunoo smiled a little wider and squeezed his hand. “I’m glad I could help. But I…” Sunoo’s expression shifted into something more serious. “There are some things I need to explain to you now, and it might be hard to believe, but I’m going to help you figure it out. If you want me to.”_

_“Changes?” He asked, blinking his eyes. “What… kind?”_

_The boy glanced over his face and then bit down on his lip, now looking worried himself. “You were really badly hurt… there was only one thing I could do to save--save your life. And it’s not really saving your life…” Jake stayed quiet, watching him expectantly and Sunoo took in a deep breath._

_Then he spoke. “Jake, welcome to the world of being a vampire.”_


	3. Part 1, Chapter III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And in this chapter we learn a bit about how vampires are created!! Personally I really enjoy that scene.

**Part 1, Chapter III**

_ “Hens in hen house. Over and out.” Ni-Ki pulled the walkie-talkie away from his mouth as he waited for his friend’s reply. He glanced at the clock. It was going on midnight and his parents were fast asleep. _

_ Just as planned. _

_ There was a crackling on his walkie-talkie. “Look, Ni-Ki… I know I said I’d go explore with you…” Came the voice at the other end and Ni-Ki quickly shook his head, lifting his own talking device to his mouth. _

_ “You can not be wimping out on me right!” He whined, trying to keep his voice down. _

_ “I’m not wimping out. I just don’t think it’s a good idea--” _

_ “What? You’re not actually afraid of werewolves, are you?” Ni-Ki sniggered on his end, getting up to go grab his backpack over by his closet. “Those are just stories.” _

_ “I’m not scared of werewolves.” His friend hissed. “I’m scared of wolves and bears! Those are actual dangers, Ni-Ki. No, I’m sorry. I’m out and if you’re smart you won’t go, especially not alone.” _

_ Ni-Ki sighed as he grabbed his bag, tossing the strap over his shoulder as he looked towards his window, already cracked and ready for him to escape out of it. “I guess you’re right… might we can try again another time? With a bigger group?” _

_ “Yeah, sure, whatever. Glad I could talk some sense into you! Anyway, I gotta go. Over and out.” And then silence from the other end. Ni-Ki looked at the walkie and tossed it onto his bed. _

_ “Yeah, well you may be chicken, but I definitely am not.” The thirteen year old said, puffing out his chest a little and hurried towards the window, climbing out of it and down into the darkened night. _

_ - _

“How many times do I have to tell you that you can’t go out talking to random humans, Jake?” Sunoo ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated and annoyed that Jake refused to listen to him again and again and again. He had explained this over and over, but the newborn vampire just didn’t seem to get it.

“I went to the library. Am I not allowed to go to the library? I didn’t know being a vampire meant sucking the fun out of everything.” Jake huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and Sunoo sucked in a breath, taking a small step closer.

“I get it. You want to interact. This is new to you. But I’m just trying to protect you, okay? You’re my family.” He reached forward, grasping at Jake’s hands who frowned, but let him. “I’m new to this too. I’ve been a vampire for thirty years, but I’ve been alone all this time and now I have you and I… don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Jake peered at him and then bowed his head, his fingers squeezing at Sunoo’s. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m really trying at this, it’s just so hard… and he’s so pretty and god.” Jake groaned, biting down on his lip. “He smells so good.”

“Mm,” Sunoo hummed, rubbing his friend’s hands. “I know. I can smell him on you.” Jake gave a little sheepish grin. “Look, hunters got  _ another  _ one earlier. We need to be more careful.”

“Another?” A slight worry crossed over Jake’s face, and Sunoo was actually pleased to see that Jake wasn’t a complete idiot and had listened to him at least a little. “I guess… you were right when you said they’re trained for this, huh?” 

“Of course I was right.” Sunoo stood up straighter. “I usually am.” He joked, earning a small laugh from Jake. “Okay, look. I managed to grab us enough bags of blood to last us for awhile. It was hard, but…” Sunoo sighed, shaking his head. “We need to hunker down and… it probably would be best for us to find a place in town to hideout. They like to troll these woods as I’ve told you. It comes in waves. And we seem to be in one.”

Jake gave a small nod, chewing on his lip as he tried to think. “Well, I’m sure there are some abandoned houses we could go. But summer is really starting up now. I got lucky with the rain yesterday, but soon it’s going to be bright and sunny all the time. What do we do if we get stuck?”

“Well,” Sunoo takes in a breath, crossing his arms over his chest as he thinks. “The sun won’t actually kill us, despite what legends say. It just hurts. A lot. I mean, I guess you could die if you stayed in the sun so long that you couldn’t move, but what would actually kill you is thirst. So we can move if we need to. We just need to be quick about it.”

“I can search for a place for us.” Jake offers, but Sunoo is quick to shake his head.

“I should do it. I’m not sure I trust you enough to be careful.”

“But that’s exactly why I should be doing it!” Sunoo looked at him doubtfully. “I won’t appear suspicious because I go out acting just like a regular human. I was one until three months ago. You haven’t been a human since 1980.” Sunoo stared, pursing his lips a little, but he saw his point. 

When he nodded, Jake grinned, practically cheering and Sunoo couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. He needed to learn to trust Jake more. 

He was his family after all.

-

_ Okay. So the woods were pretty creepy at half-past midnight. Who woulda thunk? _

_ Ni-Ki clutched at his flashlight as he slowly walked through the trees, in his other hand a compass to make sure he wouldn’t get totally lost. He had his phone in his back pocket in case of an emergency. He just hoped that service was good out here. _

_ There was a cave around here somewhere. He and his friends had seen it during the day while wandering about (completely ignoring rules set by their parents but hey, rules were meant to be broken, weren’t they?).  _

_ Most people saw thirteen year olds as little kids, but Ni-Ki didn’t like to be considered that. He was getting older, he was a teenager now! And he could totally take care of himself. _

_ He froze at the sound of a howl against the wind, his heart thudding in his chest.  _

**_Thump. Thump. THUMP._ **

_ Ni-Ki swallowed tightly and continued on after a moment. The howl was far away. Maybe he was just imagining it. There were no such thing as werewolves, and there weren’t even any wolves in this forest-- _

**_Crack_ ** _. _

_ He spun around, shining his flashlight behind him. The light darted amongst the trees, but he saw nothing. Ni-Ki clutched at his pounding heart, fingers nearly white around the flashlight. _

_ “It’s okay, Ni-Ki… there’s nothing out here. You’re just imagining it.” He murmured to himself and then he felt it. Something wet sliding down his shoulder. _

_ He gulped and slowly turned to the sight of snarling teeth and another howl against the moon. _

_ Ni-Ki opened his mouth and screamed.  _

_ - _

“Come  _ on _ Heeseung.” Yeonjun urged from above him as Heeseung dry heaved into the bushes. He could hear the impatience in his hyung’s voice as he groaned, wiping at his mouth even though nothing had come out, emptied from yesterday’s vomit session and lack of eating this morning. “You can’t keep being like this. You’re going to put not only yourself in danger, but everyone you care about.”

“I know.” Heeseung snapped before looking apologetically up at Yeonjun. “Sorry. I know. I’m trying, I just… can’t get passed the blood.” He grimaced and slowly looked towards the person--vampire--chained up against the fence, its face covered in a dry but sticky layer of blood, signaling that it wasn’t it’s first time being tortured this way. 

Tortured. He didn’t like that word because this was a  _ thing _ . A  _ monster _ . It had no soul, so how could it be tortured when it was just a pure evil creature with nothing in it’s head except death and murder and feeding? 

“I just don’t get it.” Yeonjun stated with a sigh, lowering himself onto the ground. “I know you’ve always been like this, but I kind of thought you would grow out of it eventually.” 

“You and me both…” he muttered, turning and pulling his legs up so that he could bury his head in his arms atop his legs. “I want to be good at this. I want to prove to my family that I can do this. I believe in what we’re doing.” Heeseung said firmly, pulling back to look at Yeonjun who was staring at him with an unreadable expression.

“What can I do to help?”

Heeseung blinked and looked back towards the monster, so lifeless, seeming dead if not for the small groans and movements from its head every once in awhile. “I don’t know. How did you do it?”

Yeonjun followed his gaze to the vampire. “I just remember that if I don’t, that thing is going to go out and kill someone. It may look like a person, Heeseung, but it’s a walking corpse. A zombie. You wouldn’t feel bad about killing a zombie if they suddenly appeared, would you?”

He frowned and shook his head. “No. Zombies are rotting flesh. There’s nothing to them. These… are intelligent.”

“Yeah.” Yeonjun breathed out, shifting a little closer. “It makes them more dangerous. Because they look like people and they talk like people and they have the capacity to think like people. But they’re zombies with no heartbeat. The person that they were died. That curse is a parasite. A virus that takes over it’s host and nothing more than that.”

“A virus…” Heeseung blinked, his fingers clenching over his stained jeans. “I haven’t really thought of it like that before.”

“Alright. I can work with this.” Yeonjun said, his voice excited as he turned Heeseung towards him. “Yes. Vampirism is a virus. Do you know how you turn into a vampire, Heeseung? You’ve been taught this.”

“You…” He takes in a sharp breath. “You have to drink vampire blood and…” Yeonjun stares at him expectantly. “Then you have to die before your body can make the change.”

“Exactly!” Yeonjun exclaimed, his eyes bright. “Exactly. You have to drink vampire blood and before you turn, you have to die. If you don’t die, you don’t turn. So the person they were before is gone. What happens is the vampire virus infects the blood stream, making its way to the brain where it begins to take over and reanimate. Just like a zombie virus in the movies. But vampirism is different. It doesn’t just reanimate the base functions, but it takes over the entire brain. When a vampire talks, it’s the virus talking and using the brain’s memories to base itself out of.”

Heeseung looks towards the vampire chained to the fence. “So it’s like… an imposter.”

Yeonjun gave a small, pleased, smile. “Exactly. You can’t kill something that’s already dead, Heeseung. You’re just stopping the virus from spreading more. Destroying the host body is the only way to put an end to the virus. It’s sole purpose is to feed and eventually infect. Vampires lack in numbers compared to us, and they don’t want that.”

Heeseung thinks he understood it now. Staring at the vampire chained up, slowly starting to become more aware. That really was just a zombie, an intelligent zombie, but a zombie all the same.

“Can I have the knife?” He asks, glancing towards the knife set on the grass next to Yeonjun. The older man looked down and grabbed it, handing it over. It was heavy in Heeseung’s hand. Thirteen inches with jagged teeth on one side. Perfect for tearing and shredding. 

Which is exactly what it’s used for.

He took in a deep breath and pushed himself up, his hand clenched tightly around the base of the knife as he walked forward. The creature looked up, its long, straggly, and greasy hair hanging in front of its face as it snarled, twisting its face into something horrible and grotesque.

Nothing at all resembling a human was left in the pitiful creature who only seemed to be able to growl and hiss as it distorted its body, trying to free itself from its chains. But the chains were too secure, barely allowing it to move even a couple of inches away from the fence. 

Heeseung could only feel sadness and pity as he kneeled down in front of the being, if ‘being’ was even the correct word for what this was. He inched as close as he could until he had one foot pressed in between its legs as he sat on one knee. The vampire snapped its teeth at him, fangs sharp and yellowing. Heeseung wondered how long it had been chained up to be like this, void of any intelligence that most vampires seemed to have.

It had lost its sanity a long time ago, devolving into what it truly was--just a zombie. 

He lifted a hand, pressing his fingertips to the skin of its face, avoiding the snapping teeth that tried to bite at him. It felt waxy and thick to the touch, like it was beginning to rot. 

He pulled his hand away and took a deep breath, lifting the knife to the throat of the vampire. “I’m sorry that you became like this. I’m going to put you out of your misery now.” He promised and with only a slight hesitation, he pressed the knife forward and then slid.

The cutting of flesh made a loud squelch and Heeseung held his breath as the rancid smell of body rot entered into his nostrils. The skin was like leather and black blood oozed out, spewing over his hand and onto his face and clothes. He gagged but kept going, pushing harder, pulling faster until he heard a crack and the head of the vampire dangled by the barest of skin and vein.

Heeseung dropped the knife, crawling quickly backwards as he stared, his eyes wide and chest heaving. He could hear Yeonjun cheering behind him, telling him that he did amazing, that it’s really hard to slice the head off a person. 

It was that last part that continued to ring in Heeseung’s ears. Person. It was a mistake, he knew, but Yeonjun had said  _ person _ . 

The bile rose up his throat and into his mouth and Heeseung scrambled up off of the grass and back to the bushes, this time having nothing but the acid of his stomach to vomit up.

-

_ His fingers dug into the dirt as he cried out, the sharp sting of the wolf’s teeth piercing the flesh of his leg. Ni-Ki kicked his leg back, slamming his foot into the snout of the creature and quickly tried to get up, his leg buckling under his weight in pain. So instead he scrambled forward, clawing at dirt and branches and rocks, tossing it all behind him in an effort to run away. _

_ He heard a whine from the creature and fought from looking back as he stumbled up and away, hobbling on his leg towards the edge of the woods. He had dropped the flashlight somewhere back there, but he wasn’t going to turn around to go get it.  _

_ Ni-Ki made it to the edge, panting, his heart racing. He cried out as the pain in his leg erupted and he fell to the ground, exhausted from the adrenaline that had been coursing through his body.  _

_ He dragged his leg closer, the leg of his jeans torn and he flinched as he raised it away. There on his calf was a deep bite, blood dripping in streams down his skin. _

-

Jake looked up at the house, clearly abandoned and weathered from lack of care. The area had once been bustling and up-and-coming, but had since become barren and known more for squatters and drug addicts than anything else. It was dirty and not at all safe. 

But perhaps that’s why it was perfect.

He took a deep breath (more from habit than actual need) and glanced around himself before in a flash he was at the back of the house, prying a piece of wood off of a window. He dropped it on the ground and then easily broke the glass, crawling into the dust covered hall.

It was mostly how he remembered it. 

Jake walked down the hall, wood creaking beneath his feet as he trailed his fingers along the tearing wallpaper, over areas he knew photos used to hang, but no longer did. Still, if he closed his eyes, he could imagine them. He could smell the scent of food cooking in the kitchen or hear the television from the living room playing the news. 

He paused at the entrance to the kitchen, in his memory the room full of bright sunlight and his mother standing there, saying something he couldn’t hear as she leaned forward to pat his head, but before she could, it all faded into nothing but more dust.

The table in the middle of the room had a broken leg, teetering dangerously on just three. It was an easy fix. At least there were some chairs. There was no power in the house, but neither of them really needed it.

Jake continued through the house, the living room with a couch covered in a white sheet and a rug, nothing else. He walked upstairs, the floorboards whining beneath the usage after so long not being stepped on. He apologized lightly to the old house and continued on his way, going straight passed the first few rooms to the one all the way at the end.

He opened the door and was faced with just a bedframe, the mattress long since stolen probably. Jake sighed softly and stepped into the room, closing the door behind himself as if there was a chance someone could interrupt him. There wouldn’t be, but he did it anyway and then slid down against it, his legs sprawled out before him.

It was strange. Jake felt as if he should be sad at this point. He had broken into his old house before, and it had never failed to make him cry, but now, as he sat here, he found difficulty feeling anything. Was he just numb to it all? Or was this part of being a vampire?

Sunoo got lonely, but did he get sad? Did he ever think about the things he had lost and cry about them? Jake felt like he had heard him crying before, but whenever he saw Sunoo, his face was free of tears. Were vampires even able to produce the tears needed for a crying session? 

Was this what it meant to have no soul? 

His thoughts turned to the boy from the woods and the library and he smiled. Sunghoon. He had gone back on his promise to Sunoo to not approach humans, and he felt sorry for betraying his trust, but not enough to not think it was worth it. Something about the human made Jake feel complete, as if a part of him had been missing. 

Truthfully, he didn’t really know all that much about being a vampire quite yet. Sunoo said it was hard to explain everything because even he didn’t know much after thirty years. Jake figured that was in part due to the fact that Sunoo had spent that entire time alone. He really didn’t know how he had done it. Jake was craving interacting with people. He’d always been a friendly person and seeing Sunoo, he seemed like the type to enjoy people even more, it was crazy to think he’d managed to keep himself from finding a companion for so long, but Jake figured that was part of the reason he had turned Jake anyway.

Not only had Jake been dying, it had probably got too much to bare being alone anymore while the opportunity for otherwise struck.

Though one thing Jake really didn’t get was Sunoo’s absolute aversion to a warm meal. 

Sunoo said it was for their safety, but he partially wondered if that was really the real reason. It was the twenty-first century and Jake was positive that there was a whole online forum somewhere of people absolutely dying to offer themselves up to be fed off of. Wouldn’t it be okay to just… try that some time? 

The bags were okay, he supposed, but Jake would be lying if he said every time he passed a human on the street, he wasn’t tempted to sink his fangs into them and tear at their neck until he could taste the warm, sweet blood on his tongue, fresh and right from the source!

He shook his head, he needed to stop thinking about it. The thoughts gave him stomach pangs and those were probably worse than when he was alive, because not only did he feel it in his stomach, he felt it throughout his whole body. It was as if his veins were experiencing them, rather than his stomach.

Anyway, this house was perfect for what they needed, even if it was full of old memories. Jake felt next to nothing when he thought back, so it should be okay. 

He pushed himself up and headed back towards the way that he came. Jake climbed onto the window, careful of the glass, but then he paused, concentrating his hearing in the direction of the fence. 

Jake slowly stepped back into the house, watching as a man came stumbling into the backyard, clearly drunk and not supposed to be there. He seemed to trip on air, going sprawling into the unwatered grass and groaning as he mumbled to himself incoherently.

With his hearing concentrating, Jake could hear the waves of blood flow through his veins. If he concentrated hard enough, he could smell passed the strong smell of alcohol to the sweet scent of blood beneath.

He could hear Sunoo’s words in the back of his mind. They must not feed off the living, they must not draw attention to themselves, and he knew he was right, but his hunger didn’t care. The fangs that extended didn’t care and his mind went dizzy as he crawled back out of the window and slowly walked to the man passed out on the ground.

Jake stared and then before he could even attempt to stop himself, he was tearing into the man’s neck and drinking him dry.

-

_ Ni-Ki had to limp the entire way back home, wincing as he dragged his leg. It wasn’t broken, but it sure was painful, however he was pretty sure so long as he cleaned it and wrapped it, it would be okay. _

_ Or maybe that was wishful thinking. He really didn’t want to tell his parents that he had snuck out of the house and got bit by a wild animal… what if it had rabies? They would be so angry at him and Ni-Ki grimaced at the idea of it.  _

_ He eventually got back to his house and pulled himself in through the window with a groan, trying to be as quiet as possible. His leg was throbbing but he had made it, and the moment he landed on the floor, he just lay there, staring up at the ceiling. _

_ Maybe he really should’ve listened to his friend. He never should’ve gone out there, at least not alone. But he really hadn’t thought there would actually be any wolves in the forest. Wolves in South Korea? It wasn’t that big of a forest.  _

_ Ni-Ki could feel his eyes growing heavy as he lay on the ground, the adrenaline now wearing off and his vision getting hazy. He should probably get into bed… but that was his last thought before he passed out in the middle of his bedroom floor. _

_ - _

Ni-Ki sat on a swing, staring at the woods. It reminded him so much of the woods where he had gotten bit, except this one was larger, darker somehow. He could sense a strange aura from it, and like he always had been, Ni-Ki was a curious kid and wanted to go explore. 

It was daylight, he told himself, not nighttime. It was safer now if he wanted to get up and creep into the woods, see what he could find. 

He glanced over his shoulder at the supermarket. Jay hyung wouldn’t be off work for a few more hours, it wasn’t like Ni-Ki had anything to do. He didn’t know what Sunghoon hyung was up to, and that was fine by him because it probably meant he was busy and wouldn’t try to babysit him like Jay often asked.

Ni-Ki was fifteen. He wasn’t a child anymore and as much as he loved Jay hyung like he was his actual blood brother, sometimes he needed the guy to know that he was growing up and he could make his own decisions. 

Were those decisions always good? Well… no, but that was Ni-Ki’s problem to deal with. 

He slowly stood from the swingset, his fingers still wrapped tightly around the chain until he could feel the metal create indentures in his skin. Ni-Ki looked at his hand and let go, glancing at his palm that slowly went from red and white due to the pressure of gripping the swing back to his normal color. He hadn’t realized he was so anxious about this.

Perhaps it was because the last time he had gotten to go off into the woods alone had been when he’d been bitten, but as much bad had come from that in the form of his parents literally abandoning him, Ni-Ki felt so much more good had happened. He had found Jay hyung and his parents. He had a family who loved him for who he was. But also…

Ni-Ki loved being a werewolf. 

He knew that Jay would go back and undo what happened to him if he could and he understood that, but Ni-Ki didn’t agree. He loved the heightened senses and the knowledge that there was more out there in the world than he had known as a regular human boy. There was so much more possibility now.

And it was that thought that had him nodding to himself firmly and venturing off into the woods, the trees slowly growing thicker the further that he went until only beams of light shone through the top of the trees in an almost clear trail… it was almost as if the sun itself was leading him somewhere.

It led him to an area where the beams of light created a circle around a beaten up old couch and armchair. Ni-Ki blinked at the sight of it, glancing around himself before slowly moving closer. He couldn’t understand why or how this had gotten into the middle of the forest.

He brushed his hand against the back of the couch, surprisingly soft and free from dirt and then he stilled, taking in a deep breath. The scent of people lingered to the fabric, signaling that someone had been there just recently.

Ni-Ki quickly looked around himself, eyeing in every direction that he could.

“Hello?” He called out, his voice causing the chirping birds around him to stop at the sound. “I know someone is out here. I can smell you.” The sound of moving branches echoed out somewhere from behind him. “And hear you.”

He turned around slowly, looking in the direction of the sound curiously, but saw nothing. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I… I heard there were people out here, other creatures and I--I just want to talk.” Ni-Ki slowly turned in a circle, trying to find any sign of life around him.

“I’m not human either and… I could really use another non-human friend…” his voice trailed off to silence, letting the words float through the air in hopes that someone would hear them.

But it seems that nobody had, the silence following him like a disappointing dream. 

Ni-Ki gave a soft sigh and started off back towards the way he came.

“Wait--” A voice called from behind him and he turned just in time to see a boy, only a few years older than him, emerge from behind the trees. His face soft and skin pale, dark hair falling on his head in a wind-ruffled look. His brown eyes looked almost too brown, too golden, to be human’s. 

Ni-Ki had a feeling that was correct.

“Hi.” Ni-Ki said when the person didn’t continue, causing the boy to blink and seem to remember that he hadn’t continued his thought.

“If you aren’t a human… then what are you?” He asked, his hand pressed up against the tree as if he were about to use it as a shield should he need to.

Ni-Ki gave him a small smile and then looked down, tugging up the leg of his jeans to show off the scarred tissue that covered nearly half of his calf. “I’m a werewolf. What about you--”

And before he could even blink, the boy was only a few steps before him and Ni-Ki gasped, stumbling back into the dirt, his heart pounding. The boy just stared at him and then slowly extended his hand.

“I’m a vampire. It’s nice to meet you.”

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
